When Joe Sakic signed a five-year contract with the Avalanche in 2001, he hinted it would be the last one he would sign in his long NHL career. He even joked he hoped to get through the five years without becoming “washed up.”

On Tuesday, however, Sakic put pen to paper on another contract with the Avs – and he said he wants to sign at least one more with Colorado.

“Two more years, maybe three,” said Sakic, when asked how long he would like to keep playing. “At this stage of your career, it’s year by year, but definitely hopefully two more.”

Sakic, who turns 37 on July 7, signed a one-year deal worth $5.75 million to return to the Avs for his 18th NHL season.

Part of the reason he signed for one year, Sakic said, is to give the Avalanche a financial break if, for whatever reason, he doesn’t play beyond this coming season. If Sakic had signed, say, a two-year contract worth $11.5 million but couldn’t play because of injury or other circumstances in the second year, his average combined salary would count toward that season’s salary cap number.

“This way, it’s fair to both sides, gives each side a little flexibility,” said Sakic, the Avalanche’s all-time leading scorer with 574 goals and 1,489 points in 1,237 games. He also is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer, with 178 points (82 goals) in 162 games.

Sakic said there was no doubt he would re-sign with Colorado and forgo the chance to test the market as an unrestricted free agent. “This is home,” he said.

On family vacation last week, Sakic said the only thing he pondered from his chaise lounge was the length of the contract. One year made the most sense.

If Detroit captain Steve Yzerman retires this summer, Sakic will become the NHL player with the longest active tenure with the same franchise. He is coming off another fine season in which he led the Avs with 87 points in 82 games, including 32 goals to tie for the team lead. Sakic’s zest for the game was rejuvenated by a year off during the canceled 2004-05 season along with new rules that increased scoring. He said he is excited about the Avs’ prospects for 2006-07.

“We’ve got a good hockey team,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talented players, a lot of younger guys who should get better. The game is more fun to play now.”

Sakic’s salary puts the Avs’ payroll near $25 million. The NHL’s salary cap will rise from $39 million to about $44 million next season.

Sakic said he hopes new Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere will re-sign de- fenseman Rob Blake, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Blake’s agent, Ron Salcer, did not return calls Tuesday. There have been mixed signals coming from the Blake camp, with Salcer indicating this spring his client was likely to test the open market and Blake telling The Denver Post last month he felt confident he would re-sign with the Avs.

If Giguere feels his team is lacking after signing his own players, he indicated he would consider signing a free agent or two from other teams. The increased salary cap could give Giguere more spending power than his predecessor, Pierre Lacroix, had last year.

Want a reason why the state of Colorado will be back in the NCAA Tournament in 2020? The Colorado Buffaloes have received 96.1 percent of their scoring, 96.9 percent of their rebounds and 97.3 percent of their assists from players other than seniors this winter. Up at Colorado State, first-year coach Niko Medved got 79.1 percent of his points, 88.8...